Vending machine



Patented Apr. 13, 1948 VENDING MACHINE Percy C. Smith, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Exhibit Supply Company, Chicago, Ill., a corn i poration of Illinois Application May 11, 1945, serial No. 593,206

4 claims. (ci. 31a-55) This invention relates to vending machines. More particularly the invention relates to a pusher for vending individual cards from a stack of cards in a manner such that only one card at a time will be vended from the bottom of the stack. In this aspect of the invention, a primary and principal vobject is to provide a pusher of this type which will be highly efficient in use, economical in manufacture, and simple in structure.

It is well known in the art of vending machines to employ pushers for vending or dispensing an article from the machine. In some instances, these pushers are operated by a coin slide, the slide having an upstanding or depending stud, as the case may be, which engages a portion of the pusher to move the pusher in opposite directions with respect to a partition upon which the articles to be vended are supported.

Unless these pushers are constructed in a proper manner, there is a likelihood that more than one card or article may be vended from the malchine, and this is particularly true where the merchandise to be vended is of a relatively small thickness, such, for example, as postal or picture cards.

In vending machines of this type with which I am familiar, the follower comprises a substantially at plate which rests upon a partition on which the cards are supported, and this partition usually has an elongated block member at one end of a thickness contemplated for engagement with but one card of the stack of cards. With such a pusher I have found that if the plate is warped transversely or if the partition upon which it slides is uneven or becomes buckled, the elongated block is displaced to an extent that instead of engaging only one card it will at times, and very frequently, engage two cards, thus effecting an improper vending operation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pusher which will substantially l eliminate these known difiiculties.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a vending machine with which my invention may be employed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view partly in section with the rear wall removed and showing the in-l terior of the vending machine, to illustrate the relationship of the pusher with other parts of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a pusher embodying my invention.

The drawings illustrate the preferred form of construction by which the several objects of this invention are accomplished.

Inthe drawings Ihaveillustrated a vending Y machine. Neitherthe design nor construction other than ashereinafter'pointed out constitutes any part of this present invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the precise design or construction shown but wish` to avail myself of suchmodications and variations as will bring about the best results.

In this connection the vending machine comprises a casing III including Va front wall I I and a back wall (not shown) usually locked in place by a suitable key-operated lock. Within this vending machine is arranged a coin box I2 having suitable coin funnels I3 to receive the coins from a coin chute Idcarried by the front wall II, which coin chute includes a coin slide I5. This coin slide I5 atitsinterior end portion includes an upstanding stud I6.

In the present construction the casing III comprises two compartments I1 and I8, the bottom of which compartments constitutes a partition I9 separating the compartments I1 and I8 from the compartment of the casing Ii) within which the coin box I2 is confined.

This partition I9 is adapted to support a stack of cards 20" on the top of`which stack rests a block or weight 2|. These cards are adapted to be individually vended from the bottom of the stack through vending slots 22 formed in the front wall II of the casing IU. The partition I9, Within each compartment I1 and I8, has a cutout portion 23 providing opposite parallel guide arms 24.

The pusher is indicated at 25Vand includes superimposed plates 26 and 21 and an intermediate plate 28 of a less overall dimension than the superimposed'plates, and disposed between these plates 25 and 21 to space them apart and to provide on opposite longedges 29 the parallel grooves 3!) which receivel adjacent edge portions 3| of the arms 24. Secured to the top plate 26 or made I a part thereof, as may be convenient, is a ledge or raised portion 32'of a thickness less than the thickness of the individual cards of the stack of cards 20 and adapted to engage the rear edge 33 of each of the cards of the stack 20. The bottom plate 21 has secured thereto in any approved manner a U-shaped member 34 providing depending spaced lugs or plates'35, between which the studr I6 is movable and adapted to alternately engagev the plates 35 formoving the follower 25 in opposite directions with respect to the partition I9. i i

On the back of the front wall II in each compartment I1 and I8 is a suitable gauge I9 adjustably connected tothe front wall II by slot and screw connections 20. By proper adjustment ofthis gauge relative to the slot 22 only the card to be vended will pass through the slot, the card above the one to be vended being held bythe gauge, without which gauge the upper of the cards might'by friction pass through the slot.

3 In operation a coin is deposited in the coin aperture I5' of the slide I5. The slide I5 is then moved inwardly, bringing the stud I6 into contact with the depending plate 35 in its path of' movement. Upon engagement with this plate 35,

the pusher will be moved to its rearmost position to dispose the raised portion 32 to the rear of the stack of cards 20. After movingthe pusher to this position the slide I5 is moved in an opposite direction to bring the stud YII into engagement with the plate 35 in the path of its outward movement, and upon engagement with the plate 35 the pusher will be moved toward the front of the casing I0, moving with it the bottomv card from the stack of cards 20 by reason of engagement of the raised portion 32 with the edge of such card. This movement of the pusher will project a portion of the card through the vendpusher whenv no coin is deposited in the coin f aperture I 5. l

By employing a pusher wherein there are the Yopposite parallel grooves` receiving the opposite long edges of the partition I9, it is manifest that a jarring of the machine willnot jam the pusher upwardly so as to cause the raised portion to engage more than one card; It will also be seen that the position of the raised portion is substantially maintained, notwithstanding medial buckling of thepartition I9 or the plates constituting the pusher.`

VBy the construction hereinbefore described, I have provided a pusher effective for vendingone card at a time from beneath a stack of cards.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofv construction for carrying my invention into eifect, this is capablesof variation and modification without 'departing` from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the preciseV details of construction set forth,but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come withinv the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by'Letters` Patent is:

1.In a vending machine, the combination with a pusher-operating member including an upstandingstud, a partition spaced from andV disposed above said` pusher-operating member for supporting a stack of cards and having a cut-out portion providing opposite guide arms, of means for moving the bottom card of said stack of cards comprising a pusher having oppositely disposed parallel grooves receiving adjacent long edges of l said guide arms, spaced plates depending from said pusher between which said stud is adapted to move for alternately engaging said plates, for moving said pusher Vin opposite directions relative to said partition, said pusher having along one edge thereof a substantially elongated flat Vraised portion of a thickness adapted to permit 4 for moving the bottom card of said'stackV of cards comprising a pusher having oppositelly disposed parallel grooves receiving adjacent long edges of j said guide arms, spaced plates depending from said pusher between which said stud is adapted `les's thanthethickness of a card of said stack of Acards and adapted to engage an edge of the bottom card of said stack to move said bottom card from beneath said stack when said pusher is moved in one direction.- Y

3, In a vending machine, the combination with a Ypusher-operating memberY including an .upstanding stud, a partition spacedfrom'and disposed above said pusher-operating member for supporting a stack of cards and having a cut-out portion providing opposite guide arms, of means for moving the bottom card of said stack ofcards,` including a pusher comprising superimposed plates and an intermediate plate spacing said superimposed plates and providing together with said superimposed piates opposite parallel grooves receiving adjacent long edges of said guide arms, spaced plates depending from said pusher between which said stud is adapted-to move for alternately engaging said plates, for moving said pusher in opposite directions relative to said partition, said pusher having along oneedge thereof a substantially-,elongated iiat raised portion of `a thickness adapted to permit engagement with an edge of only the bottom card of said stack of cards, for moving said*V bottom card from beneath said stack upon movement of said pusher in one direction. Y

4. A pusher for a card vending machine in which cards are adapted to be vended individually from the bottom of a'stack of cards, said pusher comprising superimposed plates and an intermediate portion between said plates and providing together with said plates opposite parallel grooves, and members depending from the bottom of said superimposed plates in spaced relation withrespect to each other, the top plate of said superimposed plates lhaving a raised portion of a thickness less than the thickness of a card to be vended, in combination with a partition for supporting said stack of cards and having guide arms received in said grooves, and a slide member having an upstanding stud movable between said depending members and adapted for alternate engagement with said depending members to move said pusher in opposite directions with respect to said partition.

PERCY C; SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 213,000 Sperry Mar. 4, 1879 484,502 Lee Oct. 18, 1892 1,186,887 Cooley June 13, 1916 2,070,264 Farnsworth Feb. 9, 1937 2,351,393 Bohlman June 13, 1944 2,380,533 Lebrecht July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany 1911 

